Mickey in the Middle
by Shenlong Girl
Summary: After Sarah Jane leaves, the Doctor and Rose have a row. Are they split up for good? And what part does Mickey play in all of this? Sequel to the much happier Flirting and Peril. It's not terribly necessary to read it, but as the author of course I'd like
1. The Split

**Title:** Mickey in the Middle  
**Author:** Shen  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Setting:** Start at the tail end of School Reunion.  
**Characters:** Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith  
**Teaser:** After Sarah Jane leaves, the Doctor and Rose have a row. Are they split up for good? And what part does Mickey play in all of this? Sequel to the much happier Flirting and Peril. It's not terribly necessary that you read it, but as the author of course I'd like you to. :D  
**Author's Notes:** To be frank, this is my way of rationalizing the emotional clusterf that was the middle of season 2, including Girl in the Fireplace, within my fic-verse. That said, I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1: The Split

Rose and Mickey were alone and silent in the control room. The Doctor had just walked out with Sarah Jane, leaving them in the wake of the obvious disdain Rose had shown moments before. Mickey had asked to travel with her and the Doctor, and she'd reacted...uncharitably. And even though she was still quite agitated at the prospect, she was beginning to feel bad about the way she had acted. Mickey was her best mate and more loyal than she had any right to expect.

Except, she now realized, he may have thought them more than "mates." They'd gone on a date or two at Christmas, when she and the Doctor had stayed an extra few days before departing for New Earth. They had parted with an "I love you." Rose had not returned the words, but she had kissed him goodbye. What was she doing? Stringing him along, letting him be a comfort after the Doctor's change of face, she supposed. The universal constant, Mickey being there for Rose. But then came Cassandra and realizations and a serious turn of flirtation. Followed by sex. Lots and lots of sex between her and the Doctor, something of which she had neglected to inform...anyone.

Oh, shit. What kind of daytime television, twilight zone nightmare had the Doctor gotten her into?

Fighting off a heart attack and forcibly slowing her breathing, Rose turned to a hurt-looking Mickey and said, "Let's set you up with a room. The TARDIS always has a spare." She smiled but did not reach out a hand, trusting that her ex- that her boyf- that Mickey would follow. To her relief, she heard his shoes on the grating behind her. In a manner strikingly similar to her lover of a few months, she began to ramble.

"It's hard to keep track of the days and the nights in here, and it may take some getting used to. I just kind of...go until I'm sleepy. The Doctor doesn't need much sleep, so it's pretty much up to us humans to regulate these things. And he will forget if you let him. What else... Never suggest that the ship is just a piece of technology and not sentient. It'll result in some cold showers for you, if you're lucky." As she spoke that part, Rose let her hand trail along the coral wall affectionately. "Don't worry about getting lost unless, again, you make the ship angry. Oh, we should let you pick up some things from home, shouldn't we? We'll get to it soon. Anyway, here's your room." The pair had walked into a room that was bare except for a double bed, a wardrobe, and a nightstand. Mickey looked surprised.

"The ship just has these stashed away? Whole rooms with furniture?" Wonder had overcome his sullenness for the moment.

"Something like that. Well, I'll leave you to get settled in. Bye!" Before Mickey could say anything else, she was down the hall and headed for the control room. She'd heard the dematerialization moments before and knew that was where she would find the Doctor.

Truthfully, she suspected he would not be in the mood to talk, having just bid a second farewell to an old friend. She did not feel inclined to wait, however. Besides his irrational decision to invite Mickey aboard, which she could believe had some innocuous explanation, he had said some things over the course of this adventure to seriously bother her. And if her emotions were still running high, she would just have to try and keep control of herself. She was already capable of psychically keeping her feelings to herself, for the most part; the Doctor had been working with her. She would just have to work to keep him from seeing or sensing how upset she was. Because this could not wait.

The Doctor had put the ship into the Time Vortex and was trying to think of what to do next. Where to take Mickey and Rose? He certainly didn't know what the man was capable of handling or what he expected to see. And where were the two humans, anyway?

Just then, he heard Rose's gait and turned to see her enter the room. He was a little dismayed by the look on her face, however. He knew that expression. It was stubborn and a little upset, and it rarely resulted in pleasant conversation. The Doctor sighed inwardly.

"Doctor," Rose addressed him evenly, "can I talk to you?"

"Of course!" he responded with false cheerfulness. He gently probed their link to see what she was feeling but found her closed off. Still, he walked over to her and pulled her into a hug; he felt a need for comfort after bidding Sarah Jane farewell again. After that, all he wanted was some comfortable time alone with his girl, and he tried to convey that with his arms and the snuggling of his head. However, to his disquiet, she responded stiffly before stepping back, creating a distance. Apparently this discussion could not wait.

"Doctor, I didn't bring it up before because we were mid-mission, but those things you said last night...

I think we should finish the conversation." She again spoke evenly, but her eyes dared him to deny her.

"I'm not sure what else needs to be said," said the Doctor honestly, crossing his arms. The closed-off body language did not deter her, however.

"You've had...I don't know how many people you've traveled with. And you never mention them, not even Jack! It seems like you just drop them and forget they exist. Is that how it'll be with me?"

"I told you, you're different."

"Yes, different. We shag. You respect me enough that you won't just drop me off somewhere, someday out of the blue. At least, I think so. But will you forget me? Never mention me to anyone? Pretend that I- that _we_- don't exist?" A tremor crept into her voice over the course of her questioning, but her eyes were steel. She wanted answers, and the Doctor was frozen, unsure of what to say.

Rose pressed on, "What is this to you? Are we just fuck-buddies?" There was a lovely vocabulary term he could probably blame on Jack. "Something to pass the time and be forgotten later?"

"No!" denied the Doctor, hurt that she would suggest it, "But you're...we can't be something permanent. We can do this; we can feel this," he hesitated briefly, "affection and live in the moment. And it's real, and it's not just sex, but we can't...there's no forever here. Things don't always work out." As he spoke, he saw Rose's hard expression start to break. And, despite what must have been her best effort, her inexperienced mind could no longer keep all of her hurt and anger from reaching his own.

Rose spoke with derision, "I never asked for forever, Doctor. Just to know that I... But what's the use, since we clearly want different things? The use in going on like this, if in a few years it will make no difference to you either way? Maybe I should just go back to Mickey. Because there's more chance of it 'working out' the way you define it." Then she froze. Had he cared to examine her, the Doctor would have noticed a look of dawning horror, but he was too angry and torn to see anything clearly. He looked away from her, focusing on the console. Mickey the idiot? Is that what she wanted, a man to snivel after her? He could give her the stars, and he had thought they were happy. Couldn't she leave well enough alone?

"Maybe you should." The words escaped him before he could think about it, but he didn't take them back.

_I love you._ The Doctor's eyes widened, and he spun to look Rose in the face again. The thought had come from her, clear as day. How could that be? They shared emotions easily enough, mostly while physically close, but she had just barely learned how to erect mental barriers. The link had been strengthening, yes, but words had never been sent. All he could do was gape at her, and it was clear from her mortified expression that the creation of her first coherent psychic message had been a complete accident. She backed up a few steps, turned around, and hurried away from him.

After turning a few corners, Rose leaned against the wall and let out a sob. What had just happened? The Doctor had cast her aside? She hadn't thought it would happen so soon. But of course, she was just a diversion for him. Sex was fun for them, certainly, and she had come close to putting a name to the feelings they empathically shared in the heat of making love...but no. When the human got too clingy, it was time to cut her off. And then came her little psychic outburst. Rose's cheeks burned with mortification. Why not just send him 15 "don't leave me" text messages and leave a crying voicemail? It would show about as much pride as she just did with that "I love you."

Quieting her sobs, she began to walk to her room. However, that involved walking past Mickey's.

"What's wrong, babe?" He had peeked into the hall upon hearing footsteps and seen her tear-streaked face. When Rose didn't respond, fearful of crying again should she try to speak, he led her into his room and sat her on the bed.

"What did he say to you? He doesn't do this to you all the time, does he? The bastard. Aw, don't cry," Mickey begged, looking pained. He gave her one long, conflicted look, then did the thing that historically did the trick for calming his girl: he kissed her. Rose did not return it at first but neither did she push him away. She'd never broken up with Mickey, and the Doctor had just dumped her, so this was finally her doing the honest thing, right? Snogging her official boyfriend. So she kissed him back, putting her arms around him and instantly feeling him grow more confident. But, if this was right and honest, why did it feel like she was cheating on the Doctor?

"No." Rose had gently pushed him away. He looked hurt but not at all surprised. "We shouldn't."

"Yeah, I...I figured. Can't blame a guy for trying?" Mickey smiled sadly, and Rose's heart broke a little bit more. She managed a small smile in return, for his sake, even as her eyes welled up again.

"You're the best, Mickey. And I really want you to enjoy this trip. I'm so sorry about how I acted before; I don't know what got into me." She supposed it was cheating, apologizing when she was already crying over something else.

"'S forgiven. Are you and the Doctor...?" he asked cautiously.

"No," Rose responded, voice breaking again. Now Mickey did look surprised, but perhaps the look on her face dissuaded him from pressing the issue because he quickly changed the subject.

"So what's fun to do on this ship?" Rose gave him directions to the library and a few other rooms of interest – there were enough movies and TV shows on the ship to last a person weeks. Then, she excused herself to her own room.

An hour later, she lay with a book sitting forgotten on her chest, staring at the ceiling. God, she should have known better. As a matter of fact, after Jimmy Stone, she had sworn that she would never get attached to that sort of man again – the sort who let you love more than he loved and dropped you when it became inconvenient. Mickey had been the safe choice after that, and if she was being loved a little more than she was loving back, at least it had stability. But then came the Doctor and his fantastic machine, and they changed her forever from being the sort of girl that was good for Mickey Smith.

It occurred to her that there was another good reason to not get re-involved with Mickey: Should she ever start... _enjoying_ herself, she was nearly certain it would bleed through the link to the Doctor. How monumentally screwed up would that be? At the least, embarrassing for her and, at worst, upsetting to him. No rebound flings for her, then. Even if he'd stopped their physical relationship, the Doctor had always been possessive of her, and it was never good to upset the driver. Part of her, the bitter part, thought he might deserve it. But only briefly.

Rose groaned aloud and rolled to bury her face in her pillow. Traveling in space and time with an ex boyfriend who still made puppy eyes at her and an emotionally constipated alien she was in love with. This could only go so well.

The Doctor watched on the monitors as Rose went into Mickey's room and, after a moment, switched them off. He had intended none of this. His cheerful agreement to let Mickey aboard had been due in large part to a desire to not seem petty in front of Sarah Jane. To say he sensed Rose's disapproval would be an understatement; it came off of her in peals she made no attempt to disguise. However, in addition to trying to save face, the Doctor agreed to Mickey's request because he honestly thought the man deserved it. He had demonstrated superhuman patience with him and Rose, especially when his bad driving had led to Mickey being a murder suspect.

For these reasons, he had thought, he and Rose could make an effort to keep him from feeling like the gooseberry in the middle. For a few trips. Now, in an ironic twist of fate, _he_ was the gooseberry and would remain so indefinitely. Because he knew he couldn't kick Rose to the curb, not even after this.

The Doctor buried his face in his hands. How had this happened?


	2. Aftermath of Reinette

**Title:** Mickey in the Middle  
**Author:** Shen  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Setting:** Started at the tail end of School Reunion; this covers GitF and afterwards  
**Characters:** Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith  
**Teaser:** After Sarah Jane leaves, the Doctor and Rose have a row. Are they split up for good? And what part does Mickey play in all of this? Sequel to the much happier Flirting and Peril. It's not terribly necessary that you read it, but as the author of course I'd like you to. :D

**Author's Notes:** I don't enjoy rehashing episodes, dialog and all, so I did as little rehashing as possible. Enjoy. :)

Chapter 2: Aftermath of Reinette

The morning after all the drama, Rose awoke full of conviction. She had not slept that much so instead spent her time thinking about how she should handle things from then on. Her plan was the ever-so-mature strategy of avoidance. She would act as if nothing happened, including how close she and the Doctor had become. Traveling through time and space with her two best mates, that was her. And she'd do her best to make sure Mickey had a good time, because he certainly deserved it.

Rose went to the kitchen fully dressed, rather than in her pajamas like she'd grown into the habit of doing. There, she had politely informed the Doctor that Mickey would need some clothing and things if he was going to travel with them. He responded with similar stiff politeness, and neither looked the other in the eye. After they reached the abandoned ship, however, it was easier to act like it was old times; she impressed even herself with her performance. The fact was, she and the Doctor had a finely-tuned working relationship, and any time she needed to joke or tease, she had Mickey to expend the urge on. It really was fun to show him new things like this; she could see why the Doctor liked it.

So she wanted to play dumb over their fight? That was fine, the Doctor supposed. He was the master of avoiding emotional issues. At pretending nothing was wrong. But did she have to fawn over her ex/new boyfriend so much? So no wonder he left them on their own a little more than normal; he didn't need to see that.

Then Reinette had kissed him. In the moment, that had honestly been fun. Not like he was cheating on anyone, though after that first surge of time traveler's glee at snogging history he had felt a twinge of inexplicable guilt. Not enough to later keep him from partying for a while, though. Perhaps he shouldn't have stayed at the dance so long; he should have expected Rose to find jeopardy. And, especially after nearly being too late to save her, telling her she sounded just like her mother was probably low of him.

Rescuing the humans from danger sobered him a bit, and he began to feel bad about avoiding one blonde and flirting with the other when there was no future to it. Reinette belonged in history, and she was a courtesan on top of that; he was too smart to be fully taken in by her charms.

Of course, the prospect of a future with her altered significantly after he rode through that window. He had to do it; for history's sake and for the sake of the woman who put so much trust in him, he had to. Once stranded, he thought about how it might take years to find another version of himself or a gullible Time Agent who could take him back to the TARDIS and the humans, and he supposed those years would do a lot for him getting over Rose. Great and powerful Time Lord.

But then, Reinette showed him the fireplace. So intense was his relief, it brought him a surge of charity. One trip, that wouldn't destroy history; he'd have the Madame back before anyone knew she was gone. For saving him years away from his ship, she deserved that much. He even gave Rose a real hug, just like they used to share, and was grateful to have it returned.

And then his bubble burst, because Reinette was dead. And what really got him was that she spent years – years! - waiting on him. Because he'd played her game, flirted even when some part of him told him even a courtesan might take such a thing seriously. Told her he'd be back for her, and then... Rassilon, it was Sarah Jane all over again.

Rose stared at what used to be a mirror, transfixed. The Doctor had swanned off to rescue Madame de Pompadour, pausing only long enough to track down Arthur. She supposed she had no right to be jealous anymore, but she couldn't help feeling miserable. Abandonment? Did she deserve this? How would he get back to her? Personal issues aside, she had _trusted_ him. Her life and well-being had no guarantees with the life they led, but to deliberately leave her? Had Mickey not been there, she would have been in the TARDIS, crying. And the ship would have been a soothing presence in the back of her mind, agreeing with her. After all, she had been just as abandoned.

Wait. Disdain for companions aside, the Doctor would never leave his ship. It was everything to him. He had no obvious way back to it, but he must have some kind of plan. Because it was either that, or he hated her so much he'd give up the last piece of his home planet, and that was just absurd. All she had to do was wait and hope and stay strong for Mickey.

Five hours later, her hope had waned significantly. It had occurred to her that the TARDIS would survive a lot longer than she or Mickey would without the Doctor's assistance. She could make simple adjustments when the Doctor was piloting, but alone, she had no hope of getting it anywhere other than her home time, and even then only if she could find the emergency protocol for it. These thoughts flitted through her head, alternating hope and misery, swells of remembered pride in her Doctor's genius and the sharp sting of pessimistic logic drawing its claws through her dreams.

But then, he came back. So relieved was she, she participated in a classic, crushing hug. And when he looked so broken, clutching that letter, her conscience would only abide asking if he was okay. Just because they weren't shagging didn't mean she wanted him to suffer. Only after that did she excuse herself from Mickey, go to her room, and let out the frustration of the day. She wasn't even hungry, something that hadn't happened to her since Jimmy Stone left her. Abandonment, jealousy, and pure hurt lulled her to sleep on the backs of her wracking sobs.

Mickey was pissed off. The Doctor had stolen his girlfriend, whatever. He'd started to make peace with that a while ago. But he hadn't realized just **what** the alien was doing to her. She loved him! Couldn't he see that, in all his superior glory? She loved him, and he left her and him to die. Twice, just today. He had a new respect for Rose surviving this sort of lifestyle, but even that was overshadowed by his derision for the Doctor's behavior. He had to see the effect it had on her. Tore her up. Mickey was certain she was crying her eyes out now, nevermind that she was too prideful to do it in front of him. Or perhaps that she thought it would be cruel to him, to cry on his shoulder about another man. Either way, he knew her, and she would be sobbing without expectation of comfort.

The Doctor was either a fool or a cruel bastard, possibly both.

It was a few days later, and the Doctor was sneaking through alleys, towards a prison. Rose and Mickey needed rescuing, and he couldn't even check the link to see if Rose was okay. Even now, to psychically block him off like this! It amazed him, how much he had grown accustomed to feeling her in his head. Of course, his species didn't enter into such a relationship lightly. Actually, they barely entered into them at all by the end. It was the sort of thing that signified a long, binding relationship. Not that he had explained that to Rose. Stupid him, he'd initiated such a thing with a human who had no idea how serious it was, and then she'd gone and dropped it for a particularly idiotic specimen of her own species. All his fault. Well, and the TARDIS's. It was her that allowed the connection to happen in the first place.

Mildly comforted by displacing the blame, the Doctor drew up to the back door of the prison. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver only to clutch it ineffectually when the door swung open on its own. His jaw dropped.

"Rose?" he inquired intelligently. She looked back at him with mild surprise.

"Oh, it's you. I was afraid it was the next shift of guard or something."

"Um...I'm here to rescue you?" the Doctor explained, screwdriver still poised over the absent door lock.

"Took care of it," Rose stated airily.

"We figured we shouldn't wait for you since, for all we knew, you were chasing down another bit of skirt while we cooled our heels in jail," Mickey added with a glare. Rose shot him a look of reproach. The Doctor noticed he looked more nervous than usual but dismissed it.

"I seduced the guard over to the bars, Mickey got ahold of him, and I knocked him out with the food tray. Messy, but it worked." She winced, and the Doctor sensed it must have taken more than one blow to knock the poor sod unconscious. "Couldn't reach his keys; he'd left them on the desk. Apparently he's been watching the same movies I have."

"Then how'd you get out without keys or the screwdriver?"

"Picked the lock," she said simply.

"Yeah, so thanks for nothing, Doctor. Especially the part where you didn't tell us whistling was illegal here," Mickey accused. Now he was definitely looking antsy, but the Doctor was past caring.

"How was I to know you'd get the inexplicable urge to create sounds deleterious to the physical and mental health of the local population?" he argued. "That aside, how charming to know your boyfriend is an expert on lock-picking. Where'd you pick up that wholesome life-skill?" He thought he was probably being unbecomingly petty, but he was tired of the boy's needling. Wasn't it enough that he'd won his girl back?

Glowering with hard eyes, Rose shot back, "Actually, I picked it with hairpins. Learned to for fun ages ago. Haven't needed it because you have your screwdriver. And stop being stupid; you know he's _not_ my boyfriend." The Doctor froze. Forehead creased, he opened and closed his mouth a few times before managing an unusually high-pitched sentence:

"He's not?"

"NO!" Rose exclaimed, exasperated. "Of course not! Did you really think that? Well, you clearly didn't think very hard. I mean, don't you realize that, if me and Mickey were together, you'd know?" She drew out the last word and pointed at her own temple. It quickly dawned on the Doctor just how daft he had been, and the rush of embarrassment was nearly enough to make him blush. Their link. Unable to think of a response, he was ironically saved by Mickey.

"Can we keep the domestics to another time?!" The younger man had a desperate sort of look in his eyes, but Rose merely rolled hers.

"Forgot to tell him one of the most important rules about traveling in time and space."

"What's that?" asked the Doctor.

"Always use the loo before leaving the TARDIS," she answered, a wry smile creeping over her features. The Doctor felt his own expression turn slightly gleeful as he took a fresh glance at Mickey's antsy state. Definitely about 45 seconds from a full-blown "gotta-pee" dance.

"Or maybe because we're blabbing away on the back stoop of a prison we're in the middle of escaping, with a guard inside who could come to at any moment?" Mickey spilled out defensively. In a twin motion, Rose and the Doctor rolled their eyes and turned to walk towards the TARDIS, setting a mercifully brisk pace. They didn't look at each other, but the Time Lord felt lighter somehow. She wasn't back with Mickey. It didn't solve all of their problems, but, in some twisted way, it was good to know that nobody on the TARDIS was getting any.


	3. Peace Offering?

**Title:** Mickey in the Middle  
**Author:** Shen  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Setting:** Started at the tail end of School Reunion; this is after GitF

**Ch****aracters:** Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith  
**Teaser:** After Sarah Jane leaves, the Doctor and Rose have a row. Are they split up for good? And what part does Mickey play in all of this? Sequel to the much happier Flirting and Peril. It's not terribly necessary that you read it, but as the author of course I'd like you to. :D

Chapter 3: Peace Offering?

The Doctor was no longer near as frustrated with Rose as he had been, but she was still pretending nothing was wrong. He didn't think for a moment that it was true; her false cheerfulness and the psychic blank wall she presented to him said enough. Yet, she couldn't concentrate on blocking him out all the time. When in serious danger and when she slept, feelings slipped through the cracks.

As such, the Doctor became aware of a feeling of general discontent being broadcast one night. He shrugged it off at first, going back to his reading material, but then it escalated to a sense of distress punctuated by tinges of panic or fear. He tried to send back waves of calm and comfort, careful to be noninvasive, but it did no good. So, he made a decision and walked to her room.

Upon arriving at her door, he looked at her and saw a knotted brow and a nose that was twitching adorably. Not that he was supposed to find her adorable anymore, but he couldn't help it with her lying there on her side, blankets askew, shirt riding up in the back to reveal a hint of creamy-white skin. However, before he could ruminate on how much he missed putting his hands on that back, he noticed her shift uncomfortably. A stab of fear leapt from her mind to his, and he frowned.

"Rose." No response. He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Rose," he repeated more insistently. She woke with a small gasp, going rigid.

"Sshh, hey. You're alright. You were having a nightmare," the Doctor explained quietly. At his companion's look of sleepy befuddlement, he smiled slightly.

"I sensed it."

"Oh. Sorry," croaked Rose, starting to look embarrassed. The Doctor gave what he hoped was a comforting smile.

"It's fine. Go back to sleep." And before he could think, he leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead. He then turned to leave, but not before noting her expression. It was the sort of profound confusion only attainable by those still half-asleep, and he allowed himself a small chuckle when he made it out of earshot.

The next morning, Rose went through her daily rituals under a fog of bemusement. Had the Doctor come into her room last night to quell a nightmare, or had that been a dream? And how did she go about finding out? If he hadn't, she could only imagine the sort of response, "Did you come into my room last night?" would prompt.

"Ah, there you are. Slept better after I left, I hope?" the Doctor politely inquired upon her entry into the kitchen. Well, that was one question answered.

"Yeah...thanks," she answered evenly. The implications of the exchange were not lost on Mickey, who had frozen with his hand hovering over the toast, eyes bugging out. By the sidelong look the Doctor was paying him, Rose guessed her ex-lover had done this on purpose.

"He heard me having nightmares," Rose explained quickly, deciding on a half-truth. "From the hall. He woke me up is all."

"My room's right near yours, and I didn't hear anything," Mickey stated with mild confusion.

"That's because you sleep like a narcoleptic grizzly," Rose quipped, causing the Doctor to choke on his tea. Some claps on the back later, he stood up straight and spoke weakly.

"You two fancy a trip to the beach?" Rose's posture perked up, but her expression was guarded.

"Like a proper beach, with sun and waves you can swim in and no sea monsters?" she asked suspiciously.

"Unless the TARDIS has other ideas, yes. No harm in one restful day," the Doctor responded with just a hint of patronization. Oh, that wasn't fair. He knew how much she loved beaches and water. Still, she glanced to the ceiling and put on a chiding air.

"Now, don't you go blaming this beautiful ship for your bad driving." She stroked the wall and felt a rumbling gratitude enter her mind in response. It made her smile.

"Good idea; she'll almost have to fly true now." He offered a small smile, which she hesitantly returned to him. Was this a peace offering? Not entirely necessary, that; she'd decided to go on as if they were just best friends after all. Though perhaps she'd been a little extra flippant lately, been ignoring him some. Which he deserved, now that she thought about it. After practically leaving her and Mickey to die in the 51st century, a trip to the beach would not get him off the hook.

Though it might be a start. She still could not believe he thought she had gone back to Mickey. Something thrown sarcastically into an argument, and he took it as completely serious. Alien git, he should know her better than that. It was interesting to note how much he'd perked up after he found out his error, however. Stopped ignoring her on the ship and starting looking like he might grab her hand again someday. If she ever stopped acting like she might bite his off. Rose shook off those thoughts and concentrated on breakfast. Maybe a long swim would be a good opportunity to think.

An hour later, the trio walked along a deserted beach and chose a spot to lay out towels. By this point, it had occurred to Rose why swimming might be a bad idea. The Doctor was in swim trunks – dark red with paisley – and it served as a harsh reminder of the body she sorely missed. On top of that, the cheat was wearing sunglasses, so she had no idea if he was looking at her while she had to carefully control her own eyes. She hated to admit it to herself, but she really missed their nights together. Besides the physical prowess both possessed, that emotional connection made for amazing sex. It was astounding how empty she felt without his mental presence, something that should have seemed foreign and intrusive. It crossed her mind that she might actually be ruined for other men after that, and it brought a poignant wave of depression over her. She would have no more nights with the man she loved and little hope of replacing them. A sigh escaped her as she lay down her towel.

"All righ', Rose?" Mickey inquired, cocking his head. Suddenly finding her eyes watering, Rose let her hair fall over her face.

"Yeah! Fine!" she answered with hollow cheeriness. She knew both men could hear it, but there was nothing to be done for it, so she abruptly walked to the water and started wading in.

The Doctor began to sense that his peace offering was going awry.

"She's upset," Mickey stated flatly before turning a glare on him. He tried to send out waves of comfort and questioning only to be violently shoved away by Rose's mind. His eyes widened behind his shades.

"What did I do now?" he asked the air, utterly confused.

"Isn't it obvious?" Mickey demanded. The Doctor just stared at him.

"Well...well, okay, I don't know what you did today," Mickey admitted before turning accusatory, "but she's been mad at you because she, for some ungodly reason, likes you. And you abandoned us to die last week."

"I did not! I would have gotten back to the TARDIS; there are other me's running around time and space who could have given me a lift!"

"Did you tell her that?"

"Well, no, she should-"

"And for that matter, you spent the day chasing after Madame de Pompadour! You have to know she likes you, and you just sow your wild oats right in front of her face."

"But-but she-!" the Doctor sputtered. Did Mickey even know what Rose had said to him the night before?

"Whatever! It's good; she's seeing what you're really like." With that, Mickey whirled around to follow Rose into the ocean. What? She liked him, but she dumped him, and she was mad at him because why? Because she misunderstood the actions he took while he was misunderstanding her actions? That was enough to make even his head hurt.

"Oi, Rose," came a voice from behind the blonde, accompanied by ungainly splashing. She turned to see Mickey smiling at her.

"How you holdin' up, babe?" he asked brightly. Rose smiled in response.

"I'm fine. Just had a moment." And she really had calmed down; playing in the waves was good for the soul.

"Good," announced Mickey, "because I was wondering about a few things. First, I'm curious about what happened last night. You forget I can tell when you're fibbing. Second, I've been thinking and thinking, and I can't figure out what you meant back at that jail."

"Which jail?"

"The first one, after the whistling. Not the orange prison with the bear people."

"Right. What about it?" Rose asked cautiously.

"How would he know if you were back with me if you didn't tell him? Does he watch you on the CCTV or something? Because that's creepy as hell and NOT healthy," said Mickey, but Rose quirked an eyebrow at him.

"...No. He has better things to do than randomly spy on me. He would know because..." her voice faltered. She had kept this from him for a reason; he might not understand.

"C'mon," prompted Mickey. She winced but explained it anyway. How absorbing the heart of the TARDIS had created a connection between her and the ship and how it let the Doctor and her share emotions. How, since they'd broken up, she had kept mental blocks up, but she did not have the experience to keep them up all the time.

"You broke up with him." Mickey stated flatly, looking incredulous.

"Well, we fought, and...yeah, we broke it off."

"Okay, nevermind how freaky it is that you have some sort of psychic connection with a blue box and a deadbeat git of an alien. I can't even think about that right now. You got together with him, then you broke up, then in some sort of Time Lord hissy fit, he left us alone on a spaceship in the future for five and a half hours. And this whole thing is basically a spat."

"Well, when you put it that way- but what do you think I should do? Go back with him?" Rose shot back.

"No! You dropped him – good. He's a deadbeat, like I said, chasing after skirt like he does."

"Right..." she responded, sounding uncertain. Thinking back, he didn't spend a great deal of time chasing girls. Just that weird thing with Lynda with a y before they'd gotten together and Reinette when... when he thought she'd dumped him and immediately gone on to another man. Which was hard to blame him for. Rose let out an exasperated scream under the water. Maybe they needed to talk.


	4. Return to Peril

**Title:** Mickey in the Middle  
**Author:** Shen  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Setting:** Started at the tail end of School Reunion; this is after GitF

**Characters:** Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith  
**Teaser:** After Sarah Jane leaves, the Doctor and Rose have a row. Are they split up for good? And what part does Mickey play in all of this? Sequel to the much happier Flirting and Peril. It's not terribly necessary that you read it, but as the author of course I'd like you to. :D

Chapter 4: Return to Peril

Rose made an effort to be congenial for the rest of their day at the beach, going so far as to fetch sandwiches and drinks from the TARDIS for them for lunch. An hour after that, the Doctor began a diatribe about the word "waterlogged" and how, even though it was incorrect to use it in regards to humans, it could be accurate to some species of alien. Around the time he got to discussing the differences between earth sponges and the people of Winkip, the humans took the hint and packed up their things.

After showering, Rose made sure Mickey was tucked away in an entertainment room somewhere before seeking out the Doctor. She didn't want to risk his brand of interruption.. As it happened, the Time Lord had changed back into his pinstripes and immediately started to dirty them by shoving his torso into a seemingly random wall panel.

"Doctor?" Rose called. Then she winced, because the Doctor jumped in surprise, smacked the top of his head, tried to curse, and instead inhaled copious amounts of dust. Alarmed by his hacking cough, she put her hands on his hips and pulled him out of the wall.

"All right?" she asked, clapping him on the back a few times.

"F-" he paused to cough again, "fine. I was just doing some routine maintenance." With that, he turned and stuck his torso back into the wall of the TARDIS, having not looked her in the face once.

"Um, Doctor?"

"Yuh?" came a reply obviously grunted around the sonic screwdriver. Or so she hoped; it alarmed her to think of what else he could have put in his mouth while in that hole.

Pushing inane thoughts aside, Rose steeled herself and announced, "I'm sorry." The Doctor's fiddling and twitching ceased, and he again left the wall. This time, however, he removed the screwdriver from his mouth and actually looked at her.

"What?" The curtness of a moment before had vanished.

"I'm sorry for being so angry lately," Rose stated. The Doctor looked at her bemusedly, opening his mouth a few times only to shut it again, undecided on what to say. Finally, he fixed his soft eyes on hers and spoke.

"I didn't leave you to die."

Now it was her turn to look confused, "Huh?"

"I need you to understand that above anything else between us right now." The Doctor's gaze was piercing and soulful, begging to be heard. "Five and a half hours was all you ever would have had to wait. I couldn't let the uncrowned queen of France die, for the sake of Time, but I would have gotten back to you. There are nine more of me, remember? Even if it took me years, I wouldn't leave you alone like that. Ever." Confounded by the look in his eyes and the conviction in his words, Rose felt slightly at a loss. So, she hesitantly uttered the first thought that came to mind.

"You'd cross your own timeline for us?" she asked with wonder. This prompted a smile from the Doctor.

"I said I only take the best - You could have starved on a dying TARDIS, and you're worried about the timelines! Yes, Rose, I would risk that little bit of tampering for you." Rose got the distinct impression he spoke with a singular "you." She had to return his smile then. Emboldened by his confession and the bald relief in his eyes, she let down some of her psychic defenses and sent him a mental sliver of thankfulness and apology. His eyes widened, and she received the same sentiments from him. They snaked through her mind, all brown and blue and gentleness. Oh, it was only a little thing, but it felt like... like home. Especially when the TARDIS shot them both an approving wave of warmth. It wouldn't do to be in each other's head all the time anymore, but maybe sharing these moments was okay. Empathy was important between friends, too, she reasoned.

The Doctor felt Rose's wave of emotion flow into him and curl around his heart. Familiar red and gold, his Rose, and she was incredibly welcome after such a period of silence, loneliness, emptiness. Well, not _his_ Rose, but things were looking up. Smiling a little shyly at each other as they readjusted to the feel of empathy deliberately shared, the Doctor could only think of one thing to say. And, dare he think it, it was a bit romantic.

"Chips for dinner?" he asked brightly. Rose laughed, the sort of surprised and unrestrained giggle he had rarely heard since their fight.

"Sometimes, you know just the right thing to say," she teased him, smiling cheekily. Dinner was pleasant; he and Rose began to talk like they always had before. Gentle teasing, fighting over the details of a story told for Mickey's benefit – he had NOT slipped in the mud on Drakos 4; he was deliberately dodging an arrow shot by a peeved native – and generally enjoying a relaxed atmosphere. And if he only felt tidbits of Rose's amusement through their link instead of its full force, and if Mickey was shooting him glares every time she laughed at his jokes, and even if, after it was over, she went off to watch a movie with Mickey and retired to her own bed, alone: it was a start.

It was a few days after the break at the beach. The Doctor had hit the ever-popular randomizer that morning, landing the trio in a jungle. Attempts were made to make nice with the scantily-clad natives right up until a rather large one approached. They had been negotiating over some of the local foods, but the newcomer, who wore bright feathers in his hair, caused the food vendors to clam up and step back.

Turning to Mickey, he asked, "Is this your woman?" and pointed to Rose. Mickey thought her reaction was surprisingly understated, a mere twitch of the eye followed by a cool stare. She must have been used to misogynistic local customs, although for all he knew, the Doctor had psychic'd her to calm down, or whatever it was they did. Rose had confided to him that she was no longer keeping her barriers up tight, which was rankling. But what could he do?

"No," he answered honestly.

"Is she your woman?" the large native asked the Doctor.

"No," the Time Lord cautiously answered. "She's not for sale either, if that's what you're asking."

"What's in the king's domain is the king's," the man said with a small shrug. "He's very kind about compensating, however, should he choose to keep her."

"What?!" exclaimed Rose, speaking for the first time and sounding none-too-pleased. However, the man did not address her when he spoke, looking instead at the Doctor.

"The king wishes to see the newcomer; he has been told of her unusual complexion and hair." He snapped his fingers, and four more of what must have been palace guards (or castle guards or tree-house guards or whatever they had) materialized from the crowd. When Rose tried to run, two grabbed hold of her and started to drag her backwards through the dirt.

"Oi!" Mickey yelled. He tried to leap forward to defend her, the Doctor right behind him, but they were stymied by the sudden presence of three guns.

"You may get her back, if she does not please him," stated the first guard, who had a weapon trained on Mickey. Strangely, he seemed to have no malice in his voice. Just matter-of-fact authority that left Mickey with no doubt over whether he would hesitate to fire on them.

"Doctor!" yelled Rose. Mickey felt an inappropriate flare of jealousy over whose name she called, but he pushed it aside. He didn't need an empathic link to sense the emotions behind that tone. She was beginning to be alarmed, for herself and for her friends. Mickey had no idea what to do, and it seemed the Doctor had fallen back on the weapon that was his gob.

"Wait, he doesn't want her! She...she snores!" Despite being bodily dragged off, Rose found the time to shoot the Doctor a look that could crack mirrors. Apparently adopting the philosophy, "in for a penny, in for a pound," he added, "And she's a biter! He could get staph!" It was no use. Rose let out a frustrated growl.

"Why does this always happen to me?!" The guards kept them at gunpoint until she was out of sight, at which point the first guard spoke again.

"You may continue to enjoy the sights. Do not approach the king's facilities, or we will kill you." With that, the men lowered their weapons and walked off. No longer concerned about being shot, Mickey's mind had time to roam to other things. Oh god, what were they going to do to Rose? Any guess he came up with was monumentally not good. He whirled on the Doctor.

"What are we going to do now?" he demanded, hearing the panic in his own voice. He meant to continue, but the look on the Doctor's face froze him. His eyes were dark, staring in the direction of Rose's disappearance, and his features were still. The effect was a little frightening; Mickey had never seen him look so determined, age and hardness showing on his usually bright, youthful face. He recalled that the Doctor was known as the Oncoming Storm in some circles, and now he began to believe it.

"Now," the Doctor growled, "we find a way to get her back."

"Hey, I can walk!" Rose loudly complained. Being dragged had quickly become tiresome. Even though the men weren't hurting her, it was still incredibly uncomfortable. Maybe if she was rude, they would decide she wasn't fit for the king and would let her go?

"Can you hear me, or do you have feathers in your ears, too? Or maybe this shining example of modern society cuts the tongues off of their palace guards. Nothing like the draconian approach to national secu-" her diatribe was interrupted when the two men hauling her along threw her to the ground. The force of it knocked the wind out of her, but she looked up at them hopefully.

"You'll keep quiet before the king, or he will find a most unpleasant way to punish you," threatened the one on the left. Right, so much for that plan. They did let her walk on her own steam, however, which was an improvement. She could tolerate a sweaty hand on her elbow for a while. Once they got moving, she fell quiet again and thought. The time for keeping mental contact to a level appropriate for respectful friendship had passed. Rose dropped her barriers entirely. If she and the Doctor could manage to reach each other at all, he would want to know she was safe. Or if she wasn't safe. No telling what would come out of this.


	5. Trial and Error

**Title:** Mickey in the Middle  
**Author:** Shen  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Setting:** Started at the tail end of School Reunion; this is after GitF  
**Characters:** Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith  
**Teaser:** After Sarah Jane leaves, the Doctor and Rose have a row. Are they split up for good? And what part does Mickey play in all of this? Sequel to the much happier Flirting and Peril. It's not terribly necessary that you read it, but as the author of course I'd like you to. :D

Chapter 5: Trial and Error

The guards led Rose to what looked like a huge grass hut. However, upon entering, she was struck by how cool it was in contrast to the harsh jungle heat. It seemed these people wanted the authentic look for their royal hall but made allowances for central air. She lifted her chin and walked steadily beside the men, determined to avoid showing fear.

"Ah, is this the woman you told me about? She looks most intriguing. Bring her closer," ordered a man who must have been the king. His voice was full of joviality, but Rose was not fooled; his dark eyes glittered with cruelty, accentuated by the hard lines of his brow and the obvious diffidence displayed by all around him. The men with whom he had been conferring fell silent when his attention shifted and did not even dare to look annoyed at the interruption. The king looked to be in his early 40s, dark-haired like most of his people and rather handsome. Chiseled features, swept-back hair, and strong. Rose was not attracted, however; the man practically made her skin crawl.

The king's nose wrinkled before he spoke, "She's dusty. I hope you weren't too rough on her."

"We would never damage what is yours, my liege," the guard on the right assured him, bowing.

"What is your name?" demanded the king.

"Rose. Rose Tyler," she stated, barely keeping her voice from quavering. She lifted her chin another centimeter to compensate for her fear. However, the king just smiled cruelly.

"A rare flower indeed. And so insolent, just look at her. She may sit beside my throne for now, to brighten up the room. I'll inspect her properly later." Rose grew cold at the word "inspect." Yet she grew angry as well. She was not chattel, damnit.

"I'm not one of your people, and I'm not yours to kidnap and 'inspect!'" she managed to state, voice low. In response, his expression never changing from slight bemusement, the king walked up to her and slapped her across the face. The force nearly gave her whiplash, and she had to stare at the ground to her side while she concentrated on reigning in tears. Her eyes welled up automatically from the pain, but she would not let a sob escape. So, when she finally managed to look up again, the king was back on his throne.

"Alright, my Rare Flower, here's your pot." His lip curled at the mockery of a pet name, and he slapped the leg of his chair to direct her where to sit. Rose complied without comment, but as he opened his mouth to continue his day's business, he stopped and turned to her again.

"Are you a virgin?"

"Why?" she asked, automatically suspicious. Did they sacrifice virgins here? Or maybe the king would only take virgins as... whatever this position would be called. Rose mentally winced at her use of the word 'position' but hurriedly brushed the sentiment aside. The king did not ask again, merely glared.

"No, I'm not." Rose looked up at him, frozen in anticipation. She was unsure of whether to be relieved or to shout in frustrated despair when he merely shrugged and went about his business.

Mickey and the Doctor had found the king's hall and residence, and they tried to survey the area. If they could find any way to sneak in at night, it could be an expedient way to rescue Rose. Unfortunately, at every angle, a guard was posted nearby. Often in the trees, which just seemed like overkill.

"Gives them a good vantage point to see intruders, doesn't it?" muttered the Doctor bitterly after being ushered away by another guard. It seemed they weren't big enough a threat to execute. He tried to avoid feeling insulted.

"Why aren't they, I dunno, arresting us?" asked Mickey.

"I imagine they've been given a physical description and told to keep us off the premises. Cuts down on paperwork, I suppose."

"Then what now?" the mechanic asked, worry obvious in his tone.

"We go in the front door," said the Doctor simply.

Rose heard a scuffle at the front of the hall and looked up from her dusty seat. Still, she felt him before she saw him.

"Doctor!" she exclaimed with realization, only to receive a crack across the skull from the king. From the off-handed way he'd done it, it was clear that it was a mere love tap compared to what he was capable of. The thought made her shiver even as she put a hand to her head to quell the pain.

"In case you didn't learn before: Speak when spoken to," he ordered her curtly before turning towards the disturbance. "Who's causing this spectacle? Let me see them." Mickey and the Doctor burst forward as the door guards let them go, but the men around the king stepped towards them threateningly.

"Don't you EVER lay a hand on her!" snarled the Doctor, and Mickey shouted his agreement. Had Rose been on the receiving end of either of their glares, she would have been shivering in fright, but the king was too arrogant to do anything but smirk.

"I may do what I please with what I claim as mine." He almost sounded amused.

In response, the Doctor declared, "She's _my_ woman." The king quirked an eyebrow.

"My man says different."

"We don't use your terminology. I didn't know what he meant when he asked. But she's my wife, and I have the marriage certificate here." The Doctor pulled out the psychic paper and thrust it forward. The king gestured for him to come closer and took a good look at the paper.

"That's psychic paper," he said, starting to sound annoyed, "One does not achieve my position by being weak-minded." Rose felt three hearts sink in tandem, hers and the Doctor's. He put his psychic paper away and glared grimly ahead.

"What makes you think you can do this? That you can just kidnap people?!" demanded Mickey, no longer able to stay silent. His answer came from an aide to the king's side.

"The king can have any unclaimed property he wishes. This woman was unclaimed by family or husband."

"Now leave before I have you jailed for wasting time alloted to matters of state," ordered the monarch, waving his hand dismissively. Both men looked ready to fight, but Rose caught the Doctor's eye. Mind, body, and gaze spoke supplication, but it was not a request for grand gestures.

_Go._ she managed to send along their link. She was scared but safe for the moment. She needed her friends safe. He shot her a dose of comfort, but Rose could still sense his fear below it. Finally, he broke their gaze and laid a hand on Mickey's arm.

"Come on," he said gruffly. Mickey had become a ball of coiled muscle, but he reluctantly obeyed the Doctor and relaxed. They each gave her one long, apologetic look before turning to walk away. She tried to keep a brave face for them, chin up, but her eyes were filling with tears. Their stiff gaits told her they felt no better about it than she did, and as they disappeared out the door, Rose thought that she'd never felt so alone in her life.

The Doctor and Mickey had retreated to the TARDIS to rethink the problem.

"Usually in this situation, Rose and I would fire up a revolution. In a regime like this, I guarantee there's an underground movement that could be goaded into action and helped by my genius. But..."

"What?" Mickey demanded. The Doctor's cheeks puffed out with air before he blew it out slowly.

"History says the revolution takes place five years hence. There's a meteor, a natural disaster that weakens the infrastructure enough for the underground to take over. Right now, they're simply not strong enough. This king needs to be in power for five more years, so we need to rescue Rose with as little interference in the timeline as possible. And bluffing our way in is out." Neither of them looked much like the local population, and half of the local constabulary knew what they looked like by now.

"Can''t you like beam into the king's place tonight? That's sneaking in," Mickey suggested, but the Doctor shook his head.

"Even if I knew the layout of the residence – which I don't, not nearly enough – the landing spot would have to be very secluded to avoid anyone hearing. I frankly don't believe it's big enough to have that kind of extra room lying around."

Mickey set about bemoaning the situation, "This is ridiculous! I mean, absolutely absurd! Minding our own business – not even whistling – Rose gets kidnapped out from under our noses. Like some bully taking our lunch money. I'd like to show that king what happens to bullies caught away from their little gangs. I bet he's not so tough away from those guards!" He stopped prattling to look at the Doctor.

"Well?" Mickey prompted.

"I don't know! Give me a few minutes peace, would you?... Blimey, you're noisy... oh, what would Rose do?" Right about now was when she would usually chime in with some observation or nearly inane association she'd made, and it would set him off creating a grand scheme. But without her to talk to-

"Of course!" the Doctor exclaimed. Mickey gave him a questioning look.

"Rose and I have a link. It's not very... coherent, but the TARDIS has powerful boosters for psychic signals. And since our bond is through the ship herself, it could be enough. Should be. It'll be taxing, especially on a human mind, but we can share some words. Heck, maybe she has an idea. Worth a try!" The Doctor began running around the console, adjusting various settings.

"What can I do?" Mickey asked.

"Rest. Eat and rest, because if past experience is any indication, we may need to do a lot of running later."


	6. The Value of Communication

**Title:** Mickey in the Middle  
**Author:** Shen  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Setting:** Started at the tail end of School Reunion; this is after GitF  
**Characters:** Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith  
**Teaser:** After Sarah Jane leaves, the Doctor and Rose have a row. Are they split up for good? And what part does Mickey play in all of this? Sequel to the much happier Flirting and Peril. It's not terribly necessary that you read it, but as the author of course I'd like you to. :D

Chapter 6: The Value of Communication

Rose spent a few hours in the king's hall, and she grew tired of her alternating roles of "eye candy" and "arm rest." Whenever the king leaned forwards, intent on a conversation, he put his large hand on her shoulder and rested significant weight on her comparatively diminutive frame. She supposed it was meant to be demeaning, and through her fear, simmering anger formed. Taking abuse in silence was not in the basic nature of a Tyler woman. She'd quit school for Jimmy Stone, but the moment he hit her, she was out of that relationship like the Doctor out of a banana famine. However, now she had to bear it, else she would be hit again.

"That's enough business for today. I'm going to sup. Jing, take my Rare Flower to be fed and cleaned for me. I'll call for her when I want her." Suddenly, being an arm rest didn't seem so bad. Rose had undergone many trials in her travels, even mild torture, but she'd never come so close to sexual assault. Now, she saw herself drawing inexorably towards it, ripped along by the current with no handholds in sight. Panic began to creep up on her.

Jing, the man who had collected her in the first place, pulled her up from the ground. The movement was not unkind; her limbs were shaking. The king exited through one door, and she and the guard went through the other into a dimly-lit hall.

"You don't have to do this," Rose said once out of earshot of the hall. Jing gave her a sidelong look but said nothing.

She tried again, "I don't even belong here. And I can be gone in- minutes! You'll never see me again."

"I'm sorry," Jing said, sounding resigned, "but you've been claimed by the king. The laws are unfamiliar to you and seem unfair. They were originally intended to keep widows and orphaned women from coming to harm; the king would find a suitable place in life for them. But our monarch has... appetites he finds convenient to sate this way." Rose gaped in shock at the long speech.

"You don't approve," she stated, anxiety becoming diluted with curiosity.

His only response was the neutral, "I do the bidding of my liege." To Rose, that was enough.

"If you don't approve, do something! Let me go, protest the king or... whatever it is you do here!"

"If I let you go, I lose the power to do anything. Jail would be lucky. Now, here we are – inside," he ordered. Rose wondered about his statements. Could he be working against the king already? Governments like this always had some kind of underground movement; she and the Doctor had met enough of them.

"Hello," came a small voice. Rose turned to see the room to which she'd been led. There was a young teenager, maybe fourteen, and a woman who looked to be about twenty sitting on the floor, at a low table. The three women shared a wide-eyed look.

"You can sup with Anga and Brendi. Then you must wash and get changed," Jing explained dispassionately, gesturing to the younger and the older girl in turn. Seeing no point in arguing further at that time, Rose walked into the room and introduced herself. It turned out the two women were unclaimed virgins. Anga had lost her parents, and Brendi was a traveler like herself.

"How did you get left here?" Rose asked the ginger woman. "Were you with anyone?"

"No, I was traveling alone. It was a transport vessel that stopped here to refuel, and I went to the market to explore... of course no one on the ship felt liable for me when I was captured. I was on my way to meet my fiancé. He's just finished his military training, and he got his stationing. They haven't even let me contact him to let him know what's happened," she explained, tearing up. Rose put an arm around her in an attempt to comfort, but she couldn't help her expression of confusion.

"Fiancé? But I thought you were unclaimed virgins. Did you lie?" At this, Brendi looked affronted and pulled away from Rose.

"Of course I'm a virgin! I haven't married him yet!"

"Er, right!" Rose hastily exclaimed. "Sorry. I thought you were from... somewhere else. Than where you are. From. Accent threw me; the place I was thinking of has loose morals."

Brendi visibly relaxed and said, "Ah, those Xinkafreyas. They damage our planet's reputation wherever they go."

"Right, silly me!" Rose smiled, very relieved that her hasty excuses fell alongside reality. Suddenly, her demeanor became serious and her voice delicate.

"So, what does the king...do with virgins, exactly?"

"We serve as leverage in political deals, Miss," piped up Anga. Rose immediately grew horrified.

"He _sells_ you?" she asked, and Anga nodded. The girl was still in the lanky stage of puberty, but it was clear that she would grow into a beauty. She possessed dark eyes and hair like most of her people, but they both shone prettily in the lamplight, and her face was currently on the cherubic side of attractive. It almost physically pained Rose to think of this young teen with so much life to live and growing to do trapped in a marriage with a strange older man. A man with unknowable patience for the behaviors of a child. Just then, a servant brought a tray of food and placed it on the low table. After he left, Jing left his post at the door and walked into the room.

"Here," he stated, handing Rose a pill, "Eat this with your food. It will dull your pain for the evening – it is all I can do for you." Rose stared at the yellow tablet in her palm and shivered slightly. It was a stark reminder of the seriousness of her situation, and her panic welled anew. The king was this cruel? Yet, she was unsure if she wanted to add "drugged" to the night's duet of "beaten" and "raped," no matter how classic the trifecta.

"No, I don't think so. Thank you, Jing, but no." The guard raised his eyebrows.

"You will want this later."

"Alcohol is one thing, but I don't do alien drugs," she managed to state firmly. She finished the sentence in her head, 'especially when I expect a rescue before it becomes an issue.' The Doctor _would_ find her. That thought kept her from panicking in earnest. However, Jing merely shrugged and returned to his post, leaving Rose with the drug should she change her mind.

Later, Rose sat in the bath, cleaning off the dust and sweat of the day while glancing compulsively at the clothing she was to wear. The word that came to mind was "gauzy." Followed by "flimsy" and "my mother would never let me leave the house in that." Suddenly, she felt a tingle in the back of her mind. When she concentrated, she could sense blue and brown, suffused by gleaming gold. Doctor? And the TARDIS?

_Rose,_ came a voice. Definitely the Doctor!

_Can't...approach!_ he sent despairingly. Images flashed behind her eyes, men jumping from the trees and warding off intruders. Seriously, guards in the flipping TREES? This place really was out there, and she didn't mean in physical distance from the Earth.

_Need... escape... soon!_ Rose collapsed backwards with mental exhaustion, sending up a small splash. Sure, when sharing her thoughts was utterly mortifying, she couldn't control it, but now? Each syllable was an incredible drain She began to wonder if the ship had anything to do with that first slip, the "I love you;" she wouldn't rule out her meddlesome nature in that situation. Certainly, their empathy was always strongest when they were inside her. Which was logical, since she was the source of it. Just then, there was strong rapping at the door. It appeared the king did not like his concubines to be prune-y. Rose sent what she hoped was an impression of the concept "wait" and got out of the tub. She then dried and slipped on the dress.

"It is time to go," said Jing gently when she exited the bathroom. Oh god, already? She needed more time!

"I... I need to pray! My people need prayer before a first mating. Or do you hate freedom of religion, too?" At this, Jing looked annoyed and a little anxious.

"Fine. You may have a few moments." He turned around, and Rose sat cross-legged on the floor. This was how monks and stuff meditated on TV, anyways, so it seemed like a good idea. Ignoring the curious looks from the other girls, she closed her eyes. Unfortunately, it was difficult to calm down; her limbs shook with nervousness while her belly clenched. The nervousness had made eating a herculean effort earlier, and she had forced herself, if only to keep her strength up for escaping. Now, the food sat like a boulder in her stomach. Wiping her sweaty palms on what little dress she had, Rose refocused. Ignored the physical and reached out with her mind, letting the cool, golden light of the TARDIS relax her. Across the link, she conveyed a clear sense of urgency, and even over such a strained distance, she felt the panic it drew from the Doctor.

He managed to send, Where? In response, Rose concentrated on the room around her and the hallway outside. The TARDIS sent a rush of encouragement to her, and it made Rose wonder. Did she want details- of the layout! Maybe she could construct coordinates if fed enough information! Rose began to contemplate the halls she had traversed from the hall to here, trying to include as much detail as possible, and the TARDIS reached out tendrils of awareness to pluck them from her.


	7. The Rescue

**Title:** Mickey in the Middle  
**Author:** Shen  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Setting:** Started at the tail end of School Reunion; this is after GitF  
**Characters:** Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith  
**Teaser:** After Sarah Jane leaves, the Doctor and Rose have a row. Are they split up for good? And what part does Mickey play in all of this? Sequel to the much happier Flirting and Peril. It's not terribly necessary that you read it, but as the author of course I'd like you to. :D

Chapter 7: The Rescue

Mickey stood in the console room and watched the Doctor meditate. His jaw was clenched, expression never changing, and it wasn't long before the mechanic started to fidget. Nothing could compare to this when it came to feeling out of the loop, and he found himself thinking of the Vulcan mind meld.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor shouted, leaping up from the floor and scaring the living daylights out of Mickey. "My gorgeous ship! Top banana! Nothing like you in the universe!" The Doctor actually leaned over to kiss the Time Rotor before leaping around the console like a madman. Utter glee filled his eyes when he stopped to look at a flashing screen.

"What's going on?" demanded Mickey hopefully.

"We're going for a spin!" At that, the Doctor pulled a lever, and the whole ship lurched. He recovered quickly and ran to the door, throwing it open triumphantly. They were flying! Mickey didn't even realize it _could_ fly!

"We're going to fly over the king's hall so the TARDIS and I can match up coordinates with the measurements pulled out of Rose's head. We should be able to materialize right next to her! Whoops!" The Time Lord threw the door shut just before a muffled explosion sounded. Mickey found this alarming.

"What was that?!"

"Um, defenses against UFOs. No worries; assembled hordes of Genghis Khan and all that," the Doctor rattled off, distracted by a viewscreen, a screen full of data, and a very bizarre-looking keyboard. Mickey had no idea what he meant, but he didn't have time to worry, because the now-familiar de-materialization noise permeated the room.

"Jackpot!" yelled the Doctor, careening towards the door. Mickey was hot on his heels, and they burst into a room with two girls, Rose, and the guard from earlier. The last two appeared to have frozen in the act of the latter dragging the former off the ground. And wow, that was some outfit she was wearing.

"Doctor!" she shouted happily, pulling free and throwing herself into the Doctor's arms. As Mickey watched her cling to him, eyes closed with emotion – and with God-knew-what that was going on in their heads – he felt something inside him snap. She was utterly lost to him, wasn't she? Couldn't she see that it would all end in tears? Or did she see that and just not care? He was truly glad for his experiences in time and space; it was something for which there was no substitute. But even if his two companions were not shagging, he had definitely grown back into the position of third wheel. How much longer could he take this?

"Mickey!" Rose grabbed him up into a hug as well, mollifying him a bit, but it spoke nothing except friendship. Too soon, to him, she pulled away and turned back to the Doctor.

"These girls are going to be traded off. They can't stay here." Mickey didn't have to see Rose's face to know that she was giving a significant look. The sort Jackie used to give him when she told him to have Rose back by midnight. The Doctor, however, looked confused.

"You want _me_ to take them?"

"No; I want you to shag them. Of COURSE I want you to take them!"

The head guard guy cleared his throat, "I can't just let you escape. He'll kill me." Mickey's vulgar expression of his overwhelming apathy was interrupted by Rose.

"Jing, you could come with us. You don't have to stay here; we can take you anywhere."

"I can't. My family, and...other obligations."

"Oh! My god, your wife would be... 'unclaimed.' I'm sorry. Look, I really am, but I don't belong here, and you can't expect me to stay. I am escaping. Maybe there's another way..?"

"Um, I believe I have a solution," chimed in the Doctor before turning to Mickey. "Right then. Mr. Mickey?" The Doctor winked, and Mickey smiled wickedly, knowing what the he had in mind. This was one way he knew how to be helpful.

He waltzed up to Jing and said, "I guess this ain't personal." At that, Jing nodded in understanding and put his hands at his sides. Mickey then clocked him as hard as he could, and the man dropped unceremoniously to the floor.

"That'll keep him out of trouble, I think! Magically-appearing transports and overwhelming force is hard to blame on a lone guard. But it's only a matter of time before the others get to checking this wing, so if we could?" The Doctor motioned towards the TARDIS door. With some small coaxing, the two confused girls came inside, and de-materialization was initiated with alacrity.

Rose returned to the control room after settling the guests into rooms for the night. Brendi had agreed to take Anga and find her a place on-base, where her fiancé lived. The two had bonded enough that Rose trusted her to look after the younger girl.

"Doctor?" Rose asked softly. He turned to her and smiled.

"Aren't you tired? You should be in bed," he said with gentle reproach.

"I'm not sure I can sleep. But I was wondering... After we drop off Brendi and Anga, could we go to a planet with a matriarchal society?" she asked, only half-joking. The Doctor's smile dropped, and he walked up to her, placing hands on her shoulders. She couldn't meet his piercing gaze, however, and she set to counting the number of pinstripes on his lapels.

"Rose," he said, and that soft tone of voice was all it took. Rose's eyes welled up, exhaustion and trauma catching up to her. The Doctor just pulled her into a tight embrace and rubbed her back.

"Sshh. I'm sorry, Rose, I'm so sorry." Rose could do more than hear the pain in his voice; she felt the regret in her own head. "That shouldn't have happened. It was my fault."

"No, Doctor, don't feel guilty. This happens to us all the time, and besides, you saved me," Rose reasoned through her tears, now holding him close.

"I should know better. But even though you want to go to a matriarchal society, I think I can do you one better."

"Anti-aircraft missiles are disarmed by now," explained the Doctor clinically as Rose and Mickey looked at the TARDIS viewscreen. They were back in the jungle but five years later, hovering over huts and shops that were burning. Bodies of men and women were strewn throughout the flaming ruins, and as the trio watched, the king was dragged out of the royal hall by two men.

"Jing!" exclaimed Rose. "I knew he was part of the resistance!" Just then, a woman came up and slapped the dethroned monarch across the face.

"Oooh!" crowed Rose and Mickey. Others began to appear, and they could no longer see what became of the king through the crowd. The Doctor shifted feet nervously.

"We'd best be going now." In truth, he didn't want them to see what happened next. For the king's crimes against his people and the women he was meant to protect, some gruesome punishments were meted out. The Doctor hit the de-materialization switch.

"This all results in another monarchy, but it's a kinder one than his. And since women played such an integral part in this revolution, they gained a bit more respect in the society. It was a start. And then..."

"Then?" prompted Mickey.

"Well, it all gets a bit commercial. But it's good for their economy. Jungle theme parks are all the rage in about 27 years. No chocolate-covered bananas on a stick, though. Terrible business-call! As primitive as the Disney parks are in your era, they're at least civilized enough to have that." Rose rolled her eyes at him. He was relieved to see she looked brighter already, after just two days, even though the recent sight of destruction had visibly dimmed her mood. That was Rose, though; she could bounce back from anything. He smiled at her and didn't miss the annoyed look it earned him from Mickey. Couldn't win them all, he supposed.

He didn't rib the man, however; it was his understanding that, the night of the rescue, he had consoled Rose with ice cream and a movie. It was even a "chick flick," and though Mickey had fallen asleep by the end, Rose had appreciated it regardless. Upon learning all of this, it was only with the greatest self-control that the Doctor avoided asking Mickey what size teddy he wore and what color his toenails were painted.

"Now I want a chocolate-covered banana," Mickey stated, seeming vaguely annoyed.

"Well, what's a TARDIS for?" Grinning maniacally, the Doctor started setting coordinates.

Three days later, Mickey met Rose and the Doctor in the control room. His mood was not the brightest. Once Rose had gotten over her kidnapping enough, he had tried to broach the subject of the Doctor, only to be met with avoidance of the issue. He didn't understand. The man had nearly gotten her raped, and here they were, fast friends with no ire between them. She was giggling at some goofy alien impression he was doing! Didn't she see she was falling for him all over again? He supposed the Doctor cared for her – he'd never seen the alien look so frightening as when Rose was kidnapped. Okay, so he knew the Doctor was crazy about her. But it would all end in tears... wouldn't it? Or would it? Mickey didn't know what to think anymore. He just knew he couldn't take this living situation much longer.

"Hey, Mickey, can you hold down this button? I need to stabilize..." Mickey tuned out the rest of the technobabble and pressed the button as told, lost in his own thoughts.

_To be concluded!_


	8. Two Once Again

**Title:** Mickey in the Middle  
**Author:** Shen  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Setting:** Started at the tail end of School Reunion; this chapter is post-Age of Steel  
**Characters:** Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith  
**Teaser:** After Sarah Jane leaves, the Doctor and Rose have a row. Are they split up for good? And what part does Mickey play in all of this? Sequel to the much happier Flirting and Peril. It's not terribly necessary that you read it, but as the author of course I'd like you to. :D

**Author's Notes: **Here we have the last chapter, and it's a long'n compared to the others. Please, tell me if this fic has made good sense in the context of the middle of S2, since that was the purpose of it to begin with. :)

Chapter 8: Two Once Again

"It'll be slow going on the power we have. You may as well get changed, and I'll take you to your mother's. That alright?" the Doctor asked, uncharacteristically subdued. Rose was avoiding his gaze and clenching and unclenching her fists, trying to get ahold of herself, and though she was clearly trying to shield his mind from her emotions, he could still feel that she was distraught. Her response to his query was a very tiny, "'Kay," in a voice still thick with tears. After she was gone, he sighed and began to change. Gingerbread houses. And to think it had been Rose he worried over! He had given barely a thought to Mickey and had thus been totally unprepared for this. It was completely understandable, what the man had decided to do, but that wouldn't make it much easier on Rose.

Fifteen minutes later, the Doctor watched as Rose clung to her confused mother.

"Mickey's gone home? Tell me what happened, sweetheart!" prompted Jackie gently, placing her hands on Rose's shoulders.

"He's gone, mum. He's alive!" she hastily added, seeing her mother's eyes widen. Then, she continued in a stilted voice, "He's just in a parallel world. For good." To the Doctor's surprise, Jackie now seemed to be fighting her own tears. There was something he hadn't even thought of – how close had Mickey been to Jackie? They'd known each other for years...

"A what?" Explanations were interrupted for the sake of making tea, and then the three of them sat at the kitchen table to talk. The Doctor took care of the technical aspect – what another world was, for instance – but he let Rose handle the rest. Usually, he would hide in the TARDIS for a domestic situation like this, but he felt responsible. It was his carelessness that threw the ship through the Void in the first place, and the truth was, he felt a bit miserable about it.

"But... why would he stay?" Jackie asked after a while. There was a pregnant pause; that was the question of the hour, in the consciences of the time travelers. Eventually, Rose spoke.

"His gran's still alive there."

"Oh... well, that makes sense," Jackie responded hesitantly, clearly still trying to come to grips with the bizarre details of the story. "What about us? Are we over there?"

Rose took a breath and glanced to the side before saying, "No, mum... you and I aren't there. Dad is, though." Mercifully, Jackie seemed to think that was enough information, sparing anyone from telling her she'd been cyberized. The Doctor didn't miss the momentary shock that passed over her features at the mention of Pete, but she asked no further questions about him.

"I suggest you tell everyone he stayed off somewhere in our travels. Greece, South Africa – pick one and stick to it," said the Doctor, pulling away from the more emotional issues.

"Someone'll have to clean out his things," Rose realized. She looked a little sick.

"We can both do it, when you're ready," Jackie assured her quickly.

Then, to the surprise of all three people, the Doctor added, "I'll help." Rose smiled gratefully while her mother looked, frankly, incredulous. He suspected he looked a bit shocked himself, but with Rose radiating misery, he couldn't very well let her do it alone. And he wouldn't sentence anyone to working with Jackie by herself; that was just barbaric. Even if Rose seemed to like her for some reason.

"I suppose you're staying for dinner then?" asked Jackie, shaking off her surprise.

"Um, actually, we'll be staying a bit longer than that," the Doctor answered with some trepidation. Both Tylers gave an identical eyebrow-quirk and frown of confusion. Clearing his throat, the Doctor continued.

"We only had enough energy for a one-way trip. The TARDIS needs a few days to sort of... soak in this dimension before she can travel again. She's been through a lot, nearly dying over there." There, that was an impressive simplification, if he did say so himself.

"...And you parked it in my living room? How do I explain a giant, blue antique to my clients! I dress hair, y'know!" Ah, and here was some signature annoyed screeching from Jackie Tyler. He decided he preferred the subdued and depressed version of moments before.

"I didn't know! And do you know how hard it is to land her in a building, in a room, between furniture, on almost no power? In the right time and everything! It's my finest driving in months!" The Doctor's righteous indignity was ruined when Jackie leaned menacingly over the kitchen table and made him squirm in his seat. He looked to Rose, but she, apparently, was staying out of this one.

"Fine, I'm sorry. I should be able to move her outside tomorrow morning." Erg, he did believe that was the feeling of his ego curling up and dying. It warded off his verbal sparring opponent, at least, and after a few more minutes of complaining, she left to buy food or something. This left him and Rose in awkward silence.

After a minute, the Doctor placed his hand over hers and said, "You need to understand that you can't blame yourself. He did what was best for him."

"But I drove him away!" Rose protested, surprising him with how adamant she was. Reaching out to touch her mind, he found a level of guilt he'd never felt from her before. Luckily, as poor as the Doctor was at dealing with most emotions, guilt was something with which he had significant experience.

"You can't...you can't help not loving someone. There's just nothing to be done for it. You just can't lead them on is all; that's all you can do." He squeezed her hand.

Rose began to sniffle afresh, looking at him and arguing, "But I did! For the longest time, I did."

Gently cajoling the Doctor countered, "And you stopped, and things were alright between you. Eh? Remember? He just felt he needed to leave. And honestly, I sort of understand."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, forcing calm on herself and looking at him quizzically. The comforting smile faded away, and his mouth hung open inelegantly. However, he paused for only a moment before answering her question, even though his voice shook when he did.

"If you ever left me - really left me, for good - I'd probably avoid visiting this continent in its next century, just to be safe." Rose's eyes widened.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he responded breathily. Then he looked away, but she put her hand on his cheek and turned him toward her.

"I don't want to leave," she stated. Then, she smiled tremulously, and he couldn't help grinning right back at her.

Emboldened by her words, he spoke in a rush, "Rose? I'll never forget you. Promise. Anyone I travel with will never hear the end of you. No matter how you come to stop traveling with me." This prompted a few more tears from his companion but no sobbing. She wiped her eyes irritatedly.

"God, I'm sorry. Emotional day. Can... can I have a hug?"

"Best idea I've heard all day." He half-pulled her up from the chair and held her in a crushing embrace. It never got old, the way she folded perfectly into his arms. All warm human, with apple shampoo on top.

He let slip, "I missed this." The way Rose buried further into his neck, he guessed she was blushing. Her emotions were still a jumble of guilt and grief, but there was a welling of pleasure and... peace? Yes, peace. That was the feeling the two of them generated, wrapped in each other.

"Doctor?"

"Mm?" he asked dreamily.

"Two things. First, I can't breathe."

"Oh! Right, sorry." He let her step back but held onto her hands. "What was the other thing?" Was she blushing again?

"Can... can we try again?" Immediately, he knew what she meant, and he flooded their link with elation.

"You want to?"

"If you want to." Their tones were an echo of Christmas day in front of the TARDIS, and so were their smiles.

"You won't get rid of me now," she warned teasingly.

"Good!" He pulled her into another embrace but broke this one after only moments to kiss her cheeks. It made her giggle, but she stopped short.

"What- Doctor, did you just lick my cheek?" He became the picture of innocent bewilderment.

"What? I kissed your cheek!"

"There was tongue!"

"Well, just a little taste, to see what... your tears... taste like?" He winced, but Rose merely laughed at him. Giggling, slightly hysterical laughter. That was unusual.

"Um, Rose? Rose, are you alri-mmf!" She'd grabbed his tie and pulled him into a proper kiss. Oh well, he thought. She could go a little crazy if she wanted; it would just make them a better match. So he kissed her back wholeheartedly. It was sweet and searching and giving of comfort. Right up until the front door opened, and he jumped away from her like a preteen boy caught snogging his first girl. Oh, there went his pride again, curling up into a miserable ball. Luckily, Jackie didn't even bat an eye, concentrating instead on her bag of groceries.

While she was cooking, she broke out the photo albums from as far back as Mickey and Rose's young childhood. The Doctor had read somewhere that this was a common part of the human mourning process, so he tolerated it. And even though he about wanted to gag on the domesticity of it, he _did_ have to admit that teeny tiny Rose was adorable. Not quite worth choking down Jackie's cooking, but it did help. After cleanup, Rose went for a shower and pajamas, and the three of them sat on the couch to watch a movie. By this point, the Doctor felt more than a little twitchy, but Rose was holding his hand, and he'd missed it so much that he managed to sit still until he started to like the show.

"So this McGregor fellow-"

"Christian," Rose interrupted.

"Yeah, Christian – he's a writer. Who is mistaken for a Duke and falls in love with a prostitute, who is incidentally being sold to said Duke."

"That's about the size of it, yeah," Jackie half-snapped, annoyed at his commentary.

"Sounds like one of our low-key days," Rose muttered, drawing a snigger from the Doctor.

Minutes later, he happily exclaimed, "I do like these bohemians!"

"You would – bet you'd be the king weirdo," Jackie groused.

"That's it, Mum. Next holiday, I'm getting him a t-shirt that says, 'King Weirdo.'"

"Oi, no fair both picking on me!" The chatter subsided, and they watched the DVD and the TV after that. Sometimes bringing up Mickey, sometimes just talking, until Rose fell asleep.

"She'll regret that in the morning," muttered her mum, seeing the awkward way she was situated.

"I'll get her to bed," announced the Doctor, picking her up like a child and carrying her towards the TARDIS.

Jackie demanded, "Oi, where are you going?" making him stop and think.

"To bed. Which is this way, silly me!" He whirled around to take her to her room in the flat. After he tucked a blanket around her, he turned to leave, but she stirred.

"Stay." It was an endearingly groggy request. Yet...

"But your mum-" he protested quietly, gesturing vaguely towards the door.

"Goodnight, Rose!" came a harpy-like screech from the hall, followed by the quiet shutting of a door.

"Oh. Right then." He stripped to pants and t-shirt and crawled into bed with her. They spooned up snugly and drifted to sleep together.

Jackie woke to the sound of a scream. Understandably alarmed, she swung out of bed and stumbled into the hall. She heard another squeal and realized the noise was coming from Rose's room. As she took the few steps to the door, another sound floated to her ears – a giggle?

Jackie swung the door open to be faced with a bizarre sort of scene. Her daughter, apparently fully clothed, was being STRADDLED by the Doctor, who was fully clothed in his usual pinstriped glory. He'd pinned her arms with his knees, and her spaghetti-strap top was pushed up a few inches so he could tickle her mercilessly. Even from this angle, Jackie could see that he had a look of childish glee on his face.

"Mum!" exclaimed Rose upon catching sight of her. "'elp!"

[Picture of this at my deviantart! I'd link it here, but this site won't let me, so see my profile.

"Calling for your mum?" teased the Doctor, renewing his assault. "That's a new low for you, Rose Tyler." This drew a strangled "Noooo!" from Rose. Either he didn't realize the impropriety of the situation, or...

"I'll show you 'low' when I knock you on your bum," stated Jackie darkly. The Doctor responded with a high-pitched noise and flung himself off of her daughter. In the process, he caught his foot on the comforter and fell off the bed.

After landing in a spectacular heap, he said, "Ow."

"Serves you right!" crowed Rose, pointing at him mockingly.

"Jackie, I didn't know you were there! Not that I was- not that we were- I was just tickling her," the Doctor rambled as he recovered from his undignified position on the floor.

"Tickling me when I was trying to sleep!"

"You've slept enough! I was bored." It occurred to Jackie's that he might have chosen a different way of rousing her daughter if they weren't in her house, but she derailed that train of thought for her sanity's sake. Instead, she allotted one strong glare in the direction of the alien... then rolled her eyes and turned to leave. It just wouldn't do to let him see her smile at his antics.

Two nights later, after an emotional day cleaning out Mickey's apartment, Rose and the Doctor took comfort in each other's bodies. They quietly relearned one another in the dark of the flat, but in the afterglow, the Doctor gave an exaggerated sigh.

"Something not up to snuff?" Rose asked, sounding offended.

"No! Fantastic, first rate. It's just, I can't wait to get out of this flat." He took a leading tone that made it clear he had more to say.

"Any specific reason?" she prompted.

"Well, I've had this fantasy about something we could do. For a while, and now I've the ability again, we're stuck here." The Doctor could almost feel the curiosity killing her.

"Well, what is it then?"

"You, me, banana milkshake."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"I want to lick it off." There was a long pause.

"When can we move the TARDIS again?"

"Tomorrow."

"Great. But for now-" and she pounced on him for a second time that night.

END


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